The Apprentice
by Songbird's Spirit
Summary: It goes without saying that only the best of the best are hand-selected to join the NEST program. But there are always exceptions and outliers...such as Ratchet's new apprentice who hides behind a wide smile. (Post-AoE)


"Zee, where the hell is Drift?"

"Likely outside, he always joins Tessa for morning yoga."

"...I shouldn't be surprised."

"Nope." Zee glanced over to the bright green mech, "What'd you need him for anyway?"

"He's been avoiding his checkups."

"Everyone avoids deep-system checkups, Ratchet." Zee chuckled. "Poor Jazz, he couldn't even run away this time."

"Save it. You would have helped him avoid me if he'd been in working order." Ratchet grunted, though his tone lacked any malice.

"What can I say? I enjoy a good show from time to time." Zee chuckled.

"You want a show? Just find Mirage."

"...did...did you just…?"

"Yes."

"I think I love you."

"And I think you've lost your processor." Ratchet snorted.

"Mind. And I lost that a long time ago." The woman snickered, half-heartedly continuing her maintenance on the power module for Ratchet's emergency fuel pump.

Though she wasn't mindless. Fuel pump stand-ins had to be precise. If too many main lines were severed or in need of pinching, this machine had to circulate their energon for them.

So, no mindless errors.

"I'm just happy things have calmed down a little. At least on the surface." Zee murmured.

Ratchet glanced up at his human partner. It was hard to believe NEST had only been reinstated for half a year. Humans had lost so much trust over time and Ratchet was sure things would never be the same.

And he was right…but also wrong.

"You have that look again." Zee teased, grinning as the mech rejoined reality.

"What look?" He grumped.

"That faraway look you get...but I agree. I never thought our species would get along again."

"Not at this level anyway."

It was a common topic. Things were still tense but humanity was -surprisingly- keeping a fair distance. The outcry at what had been done was unbelievable. Cemetery winds _had_ to have been one of those 'just give us the broad perspective, and keep the details to yourself' kind of functions. And it had backfired. Hard. And at humanity's fervent demand, the government and the public were doing an astounding amount to try and make up for their actions.

Yet it still wasn't enough to bring some mechs out of hiding. Sideswipe had flat out refused now that Sunstreaker was planet-side. He had no desire to defend humans but assured everyone he wouldn't blatantly try for genocide. Not that he had to. No one blamed him.

Roadbuster and Topspin were also out of the NEST loop. The foremechs were somewhere in South America right now. That's all they knew of them.

In the meantime, humanity was going to keep trying to apologize, as futile as it'd be for some of the bot's opinions.

Though not everything was bad. Plans proposed by the humans and monitored by the bot's were beginning to bear some fruit. Especially from the KSI co.

Ratchet had managed to 'save' Jazz and Ironhide by placing their sparks in an incubator of sorts. The top part of the incubation machine was see-through for optimal monitoring; giving a full view of two disembodied Cybertronian souls to whomever was lucky enough to be allowed close to it.

But without stable bodies or proper equipment to make necessary repairs, they were as good as dead.

Ironhide had been rusted to nothing, and his spark had suffered a minor bout of stress fissure infection. And Jazz's body was too mangled around vital areas of his body. Even if his spark were to reintegrate, the frame itself would never properly function. Jazz would be forever paralyzed and without a subspace.

Which is where KSI came in, creating new bodies out of the harvested cyber-matter under heavily monitored conditions. Some codes were so vital and precious that Ratchet did them manually so humanity didn't have the chance to decide them.

It wasn't much yet. But it was progress.

"We're going to go a long way, Ratchet. With more bots arriving by the summer of next year, maybe things will be...I dunno…" Zee chuckled thoughtfully, trailing off.

Ratchet watched the woman for a moment. "Perhaps. Only time will tell."

"Right."

"Now then, where the hell is Drift! I've pinged him several times now!" Ratchet snarled.

The human apprentice laughed. "I told you, yoga."

"It's nine-thirty! They should-." Ratchet cut off abruptly and gave Zee a withering glare, "You've been buying them time, haven't you?"

Zee offered a cheeky grin. "Nostalgia's such a pleasant bitch to work with, dontcha think, Ratch?"

With a predatory grin, Ratchet leaned toward the Cybertronian-sized berth and flicked his bracer…

Sending Zee's ladder -her only way down from the berth, crashing to the ground. She offered a nervous laugh and a sheepish grin.

"Uh, what's that saying about having a healthy sense of humor?" Zee squeaked, her voice noticeably higher.

"...I'll be seeing you when I get back, Parkins." Ratchet growled with a twisted grin that dumped a thick chill into the pit of her stomach.

Once the automatic door had clicked shut, Zee suddenly remembered the need to breathe. Loosely holding onto the wrench, the woman uncaringly tossed it aside and fell onto her back.

"Well...frag."

 _TBC?_


End file.
